A thermosetting material, such as polyimide (PI), is a material with high heat resistance, a great mechanical property, a superior optical property and a low dielectric constant. Thus, the thermosetting material has been widely applied in flexible printed circuit (FPC) boards, electronic packages, optical waveguides, alignment films of liquid crystal displays (LCD) and microfluidic devices. When applied, the polyimide material typically needs to be patterned by pattern definition technology to form the desired pattern structure for use.
The polyimide material, however, has to be patterned under specific process conditions. For example, the polyimide material can be patterned by laser machining technology. When the laser machining technology patterns the thermosetting material, the laser directly irradiates the thermosetting material layer through a mask to remove a portion of the thermosetting material layer to complete the thermosetting material pattern structures.
Therefore, a novel method for patterning a polyimide (PI) layer which overcomes the above difficulties and inconveniences is desired.